Using MacFarlane’s signature adult humor, the script deals with just how dangerous and painful life really was in the late 1800s. The story follows a farmer (MacFarlane) who wimps out of a gunfight, causing his girlfriend to leave him. He enlists the help of an outlaw's wife (presumably played by Theron) to help him shoot, only to find himself falling for her.

The story follows two very different characters: Lou, a small town girl caught between dead-end jobs and Will, a high-profile, successful man who becomes wheelchair bound following an accident. Will has decided his life is not worth living until Lou is hired for six months to be his new caretaker. Worlds apart and trapped together by circumstance, the two get off to a rocky start. But, Lou becomes determined to prove to Will that life is worth living and as they embark on a series of adventures together, each finds their world changing in ways neither of them could begin to imagine.

The story follows true-crime writer David Neff, who, in investigating the strange murder mystery of a recluse known as "the man with a thousand mittens," quickly becomes obsessively embroiled in a chain of serial murders. The closer Neff comes to uncovering the true identity of the Man from Primrose Lane, the more he discovers his own dangerous connection to the series of crimes. He realizes in order to end the cycle of death and capture the killer he must look outside the parameters of what he believed to be true about time and space.

In this Europe set adventure there are a trio of key human roles--Tina Fey will be playing a Russian gulag prison guard Modern Family star Ty Burrell will play the key role of an Interpol official--Christoph Waltz was originally in talks for that part--Ricky Gervais is playing a character with questionable intentions. There's also likely going to be a number of celebrity cameos--including Ray Liotta

Here's the official synopsis:

Mayhem follows the Muppets overseas, as they find themselves unwittingly entangled in an international crime caper headed by Constantine -- the World’s Number One Criminal and a dead ringer for Kermit -- and his dastardly sidekick Dominic, aka Number Two, portrayed by Ricky Gervais. The film stars Tina Fey as Nadya, a feisty prison guard, and Ty Burrell as Interpol agent Jean Pierre Napoleon.

"It’s great to be back working with the Muppets, some of them even remember my name occasionally now," the director said. As for the movie, it’s a tip of the hat to the old-school crime capers of the ’60s, but featuring a frog, a pig, a bear and a dog—no panthers, even pink ones—along with the usual Muppet-y mix of mayhem, music and laughs."

The ongoing series centers on a government agency consisting of psychic spies and their greatest asset, Henry Lime. After he suffers a breakdown and loses control of his abilities, causing the populace of a town to kill one another, he goes on the run. Several years later, a true-crime author named Meru, who was part of a flight where everyone mysteriously developed amnesia, is saved by Lime and begins to investigate the agency, uncovering her own secret connection to it.

The film will continue to follow the Hollywood lives of actor Vincent Chase, his manager and agent, his under-appreciated TV actor brother and the childhood pal/driver who form his inner circle. The story starts six months after the TV series left off.

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Talking about the studio's upcoming slate, in Variety, Robinov says that Warners will hold back on green lighting ""Justice League" until we know the box-office how sucessfull the reboot "Man Of Steel" is.

The movie would reportedly use the storyline by Gerry Conway from Justice League Of America 183-185.

The arc sees Darkseid, the oppressive god ruler of the war planet Apokolips, planning the destruction of Earth by blasting it with a weapon that moves Apokolips into Earth’s place.

The storyline has the Justice League teaming up with the Justice Society of America--Does this mean we will we see two teams in one movie? That could be great but is it too ambitious?

The studio is taking the opposite approach to that of DC's main rival Marvel. While Marvel slowly built each hero's backstory in separate film series before getting "The Avengers" on screen, Warners and DC will have their superheroes go into their own movies following their introduction in "Justice League."

Green’s casting marks the end of a long search for an actress to take on the role of Ava Lord, who is at the heart of the pulpy story.

Given Green's work as a Bond Girl of "Casino Royale" and the often naked cinephile of "The Dreamers"--She's perfect for this .

The characters of Nancy Callahan (Jessica Alba), Bruce Willis is set reprising his role of Hartigan and Marv (Mickey Rourke) will indeed return, Nancy's mini-story will act as a bridge for both the other stories in this film as well as those in the first film-Rosario Dawson is back as well. The stories told in the sequel take place before and after the events in the first film.

Lord is a woman shaped by "every man's most glorious dreams come true and every man's darkest nightmares," according to Miller himself. She makes men do stupid, stupid things (especially Brolin's Dwight)

Based on author Jean-Patrick Manchette's novel, the story centers on an international operative named Martin Terrier (Sean Penn) who is betrayed by the organization he works for. He then goes on the run in a relentless game of cat-and-mouse across Europe.

The author's work has been described as "existentialist and involving explorations of politics as well as the human condition."

Singer says he doesn't think people realize how big the film is going to be, or that it will take all the previous films into account:

"We've cracked it in a way that it makes sense. I had a two-hour conversation with James Cameron about time travel. You have to create your rules and stick with them. That's why Terminator and Back to the Future work so well. And there are certain mechanisms in 'X-Men,' certain powers that make this possible.I'm taking into account every movie – I'm not just grabbing my first two movies and 'First Class' and smashing them together. I'm taking into account the entire universe as it's been laid out so far on the screen, and really respecting it and trying to work with that. People took things in various directions, so there's some clean-up. But ultimately I'm not just ignoring them."

Singer penned the treatment and produced 'First Class' which was directed by Matthew Vaughn. Now, their roles will be completely reversed for this sequel with Singer helming the film while Vaughn wrote the treatment and will produce with Lauren Shuler Donner and writer Simon Kinberg.

The sequel is based on a -2 issue story arc in the 'X-Men' comics published in 1981. Kinberg (Sherlock Holmes) is on board to pen the screenplay which will include New Mutants. Magneto and his relationship with Charles X. Xavier will be front and center as well.

And then chatter started to pick up steam that Bradley Cooper was in talks to star.

Cooper discussed the idea of playing Armstrong last week. He told The BBC: "I remember Matt Damon was going to do his autobiography at one point years ago. I remember thinking, that would be a great character, I'd love to play that character. I would love to do something, I think he's pretty fascinating."

Abrams confirmed in an interview with Entertainment Tonight that he has talked about the idea with Cooper.. Cooper's acting career was launched after Abrams cast him as a regular on the spy thriller series "Alias".

Then last night at the Screen Actors Guild Awards®, Cooper was asked by Access Hollywood about the Armstrong casting rumors. "No ... Oh my god, that's so nuts. I was in Manchester, doing the BBC morning show… I had no idea what [the interviewer] was talking about. I didn’t even know that J.J. has the rights, I had no idea. I don’t know anything about it."

There was no fairy tale ending for a trio of R-rated films debuting at the North American box office.

Paramount and MGM's action-comedy Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters may have topped the weekend chart with a $19 million opening, but the film still underperformed despite star Jeremy Renner and the upcharge for a 3D ticket. Hansel and Gretel, like other films, took a big hit Friday night because of a major snow storm stretching from the Midwest to the Mid-Atlantic.

Hansel and Gretel is, however, making up ground overseas, where it opened in another 19 markets over the weekend, earning $25 million for an international total of $35.8 million and worldwide cume of $54.8 million.

The news was all-out dismal for Jason Statham-Jennifer Lopez crime-thriller Parker as well as Movie 43, featuring one of the most star-studded ensemble casts ever mounted. Parker came in No. 5, grossing $7 million; Movie 43, earning a D CinemaScore, only took in $5 million to all but tie with Django Unchained for No. 6.

Hansel and Gretel picks up 15 years after the classic fairy tale leaves off as the famous siblings (Gretel is played by Gemma Arterton) travel the globe hunting witches. Heading into the weekend, tracking suggested the $50 million movie, whose producers include Will Ferrell and Adam McKay, would gross in the $25 million range.

Hansel and Gretel saw a dramatic jump on Saturday as bad weather cleared, with grosses up 38 percent. Other movies also saw bigger-than-usual gains from Friday to Saturday.

"People simply stopped going out Friday night in the affected regions. Your nighttime business is everything when you have an R-rated film," Paramount president of domestic marketing and distribution Megan Colligan said.

Universal's horror pic Mama continued to benefit from its teen-friendly PG-13 rating, considering the glut of R-rated films playing at the North American box office (eight of the weekend's top 10 films are rated R). Mama, starring Jessica Chastain, grossed $12.9 million in its second weekend for a domestic total of $48.6 million and coming in No. 2.

Oscar best picture contenders Silver Linings Playbook and Zero Dark Thirty -- also starring Chastain -- took the next two spots as both continued to enjoy an awards bump at the box office.

Silver Linings, from The Weinstein Co., grossed $10 million after falling a mere 7 percent from the previous weekend to come in No. 3. The film's domestic total is $69.5 million.

Directed by Taylor Hackford (Ray), Parker is being distributed domestically by FilmDistrict and was financed by Sierra/Affinity, Incentive Filmed Entertainment and Sidney Kimmel. Those backing the film had hoped it would eclipse Statham's last film Safe, which opened to a disappointing $7.9 million in April 2012.

Parker earned a B+ CinemaScore and cost roughly $35 million to produce.

The roster of stars appearing in Movie 43 -- a series of comic shorts and the brainchild of Peter Farrelly -- includes Hugh Jackman, Kate Winslet, Emma Stone, Halle Berry, Gerard Butler, Naomi Watts and many others. A raft of filmmakers and talent directed the various vignettes, including Elizabeth Banks, Brett Ratner, Griffin Dunne and Bob Odenkirk.

Relativity Media spent a modest $6 million to make Movie 43 and says it was a creative risk worth taking.

Movie 43 tied with Oscar best picture contender Django Unchained for No. 6, which likewise took in $5 million for a domestic cume of $146.3 million.

Django continued to make headlines overseas in its second weekend, where it grossed $42.9 million for an early international total of $111.5 million and worldwide cume of $257.8 million. Sony and TWC are partners on the movie.

Singer penned the treatment and produced 'First Class' which was directed by Matthew Vaughn. Now, their roles will be completely reversed for this sequel with Singer helming the film while Vaughn wrote the treatment and will produce with Lauren Shuler Donner and writer Simon Kinberg.

The sequel is based on a -2 issue story arc in the 'X-Men' comics published in 1981. Kinberg (Sherlock Holmes) is on board to pen the screenplay which will include New Mutants. Magneto and his relationship with Charles X. Xavier will be front and center as well.

Earlier this week I went to see director Kathryn Bigelow's controversial war drama Zero Dark Thirty. As some question its accuracy, debate its depiction of torture and bemoan the "Best Director" Oscar snub....I found the film riveting. A thought provoking and compelling motion picture that doesn't dumb things down for the audience

He and Maya eventually trick Ammar into divulging an old acquaintance using the alias 'Abu Ahmed' who is working as a personal courier for bin Laden. Other detainees corroborate this, with some claiming he delivers messages between bin Laden and Abu Faraj al-Libbi (Yoav Levi). In mid-2005, Abu Faraj is apprehended by the CIA and local police in Pakistan. Maya interrogates Abu Faraj and has him tortured, but he continues to deny knowing a courier with such a name. Maya interprets this as Abu Faraj trying to conceal the true importance of Abu Ahmed.

Writer Mark Boal extensively researched the film which centers on an elite Black Ops team's attempt to assassinate Osama bin Laden for a decade. His death in 2011 meant a few rewrites to the final act. The film devotes about 20 minutes to showing torture but it steers clear of an endorsement or condemnation of the policy---treating it as historical fact--a tool to elicit info from our enemies--Looked at within that context I find the protests about that aspect of the movie to be unwarranted.

"Thirty" is in the purest sense a procedural of how we found bin Laden with its final 40 minutes devoted to the Seal Team Six mission and killing of the terrorist leader.

I have heard some complain that the film is too technical and talk heavy and as a result is kinda boring--I say No Way! Chastain gives a great performance as Maya. She carries the film with an affecting weight, covering a wide range of emotions holding her own throughout amid some tough dialogue. Clarke is just superb as Dan. This is hands down his best performance to date. Chandler is sturdy as the boss.

Bigelow draws you in and never lets go by letting the events speak for themselves as history unfolds. Some may have wanted the film to focus more on the final raid and less on how we got there--I think that showing all the talky stuff Bigelow made the ending all the more satisfying--knowing all that it took to get us there finally--which in turn put us in the position to get bin Laden.

In 1969 Los Angeles, Phoenixwill play a stoner detective named Doc Sportello, whose ex-girlfriend (Charlize Theron), sets things in motion when she comes to Doc with a story about her billionaire land developer boyfriend being kidnapped.

Author Veronica Roth's young adult novel is set in a society divided into five factions that each represent a particular virtue: honesty, selflessness, bravery, peacefulness and intelligence.Once a year, sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. It's then a teenage boy and girl set out to rebel against the system and discover a growing conflict that threatens to unravel this seemingly perfect society.

The story follows a young refugee of the Sudanese Civil War who wins a lottery for relocation to the United States with three other lost boys. They develop an unlikely friendship with a brash American woman assigned to help them, but the young man struggles to adjust to his new life and his feelings of guilt about the brother he left behind.

"I’m almost finished this new movie, ‘Joe,’ we’re almost done with it. It’s Nicolas Cage in a movie that’s not like anything Nicolas Cage has done before. It’s dark as fuck. It’s a slow-burn, dark, heavy movie. Very grim."

"Suspiria is caught up in legal crap so who knows what will ever happen to that. That kind of falls into the 'Confederacy Of Dunces' category of 'someday I'd like to make these movies' that I was once attached to and worked on, but they may never happen."

Green adapted the screenplay with Chris Gebert and this version would see an American exchange student in Europe who attends a school that acts as decoy for a sinister organisation.

The story takes place at a time when Earth has developed giant robots from the technology on an alien spacecraft that crashed on a South Pacific isle. Mankind is forced to use the technology to fend off three successive waves of alien invasions.The first invasion concerns a battle with a race of giant warriors who seek to retrieve their flagship's energy source known as "protoculture," and the planet's survival ends up in the hands of two young pilots.

The original "Robotech" was a re-edited and re-dialogued to combine three Japanese anime series to give the producers enough episodes to air as a daily syndicated series.

A trio of R-rated pics enter an already saturated marketplace for adult fare this weekend, with new 3D entry Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters expected to top the domestic chart with an opening in the $25 million range or better.

Paramount and MGM partnered on the $50 million action-comedy, starring Jeremy Renner and Gemma Arterton as the famous siblings. In this more violent rendition, Hansel and Gretel are witch hunters. Written and directed by Tommy Wirkola, the movie's producers include Will Ferrell and Adam McKay.

Hansel and Gretel, originally set to be released last year, is tracking best among younger males and females.

That could pose a problem for raunchy sketch comedy Movie 43, the brainchild of Peter Farrelly and featuring one of the most ambitious ensemble casts ever put together. The roster of stars includes Hugh Jackman, Kate Winslet, Emma Stone, Halle Berry, Gerard Butler and Naomi Watts. A raft of filmmakers and talent directed the various vignettes, including Elizabeth Banks, Brett Ratner, Griffin Dunne and Bob Odenkirk.

Movie 43 is projected to open in the $8 million to $12 million range. Similar to Hansel and Gretel, the film is tracking best among younger adults and older teens. Relativity Media spent a modest $6 million to make Movie 43 and says it was a creative risk worth taking.

The third new entry of the weekend is action-thriller Parker, pairing Jason Statham with Jennifer Lopez. Directed by Taylor Hackford (Ray), Parker also is expected to open in the $8 million to $10 million range, in line with Statham's previous movie, Safe Haven. FilmDistrict is distributing the pic domestically.

Not only do Movie 43 and Parker face competition from Hansel and Gretel, they also have to compete with a crop of strong holdovers, including Universal's horror pic Mama and a number of best picture Oscar contenders.

Mama, starring Jessica Chastain, is widely predicted to come in No. 2 in its second weekend and should continue to benefit from being rated PG-13. The film's gross through Wednesday was $34.7 million.

Chastain also stars in Oscar best picture contender Zero Dark Thirty, which could come in third. (She also is up for best actress at the Academy Awards next month.) Her films took the top two spots last week.

Observers will be watching this weekend to see how Zero Dark Thirty fares as its makes its first major overseas push, opening in a raft of major markets including the U.K. It has done good business in Spain already, earning $3 million to date.

Fellow best picture contender Lincoln also makes its first major foray internationally, where 20th Century Fox is releasing the drama. Foreign audiences will see a slightly different version of the film; special title cards have been added at the beginning contextualizing the uniquely American story.

More and more, Academy Award nominations can boost a film at the international box office, much as in the U.S. Last weekend, best picture contender Django Unchained opened just north of $48 million overseas.

Parker also opens in a number of international territories, where it was sold off to local distributors.